


5 am vibes

by luvjinnie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 2tae ftw, Cuddling, Light Angst, M/M, inspired by rec diary #6, just a chill lil drabble, mostly fluffy, set around regular era, wrote this while i was half asleep lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 19:18:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17310347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvjinnie/pseuds/luvjinnie
Summary: “right now, it’s around five am. but i think five am vibes are not bad at all. dark circles under your eyes vibes.”





	5 am vibes

it was a recording night, which had subsequently turned into a recording day. this was always a long process for everyone, starting in the evening and then stretching out into the wee hours of dawn the next day, like a lazy cat lounging in a pool of sunlight.

 

oftentimes a strange, almost lethargic feeling enveloped those that were the last to go into the booth, a feeling that can’t quite be described unless it is experienced. today, taeyong and taeil round out the line-up.

 

the clock reads 3:30 am, as the producer delivers tips for no longer that feed into taeil’s headphones. the man speaks lowly into the microphone, the feed filtering into his ears.

 

channel all of your exhaustion into this, he tells taeil. create a tone of tired passion, the type of drive that is exasperated, actions that are exacerbated by a heavy feeling on the eyelids. sing like your lover is walking out the door, and your voice is giving out. sing like you're going to lose it all tomorrow. the powerful words rest heavily on his shoulders as he belts out his lines.

 

by the time taeil finishes, his mind is a bit fuzzy, and he must look worn out from the expression he sees when he catches taeyong’s eyes. the boy sits outside of the booth, smiling sweetly at him with poorly masked worry. taeil feels inclined to pull himself together, not wanting to further concern the equally weary man.

 

he's almost done anyways, and just needs to perfect his high note. he clears his sore throat before acknowledging the producers' anecdotes, hoodie sleeves pulled over his hands as he brushes his bangs out of his eyes.

 

the rest of 127 had gone to the practice room to continue perfecting the regular choreography, while donghyuck had long since gone back to the dorm, his honeyed voice having given all it could before the looming ten p.m. curfew had to whisk him off to dreamland.

 

it’s pushing 4 am when taeil finally finishes, though everyone is still somewhat awake, as staying up so late is almost a welcome occurrence. he stumbles out of the booth and his eyes begin to droop, but he chooses to sit on the same couch taeyong had occupied while waiting for him, so the two could go back home together.

 

taeyong places his headphones on just as taeil settles on the couch, and work resumes once again. thirty minutes in, the haze begins to catch up to taeil, flashing behind his eyelids like neon lights as the notes of my van straining out of the booth amplify the dreamlike feeling.

 

for a second, taeil is in another world, a different dimension, floating through a calm darkness as taeyong’s smooth voice punctuating syllables waltzes around his brain.

 

he can’t help but listen in admiration to the raw emotion that taeyong puts into the lyrics he threaded together himself, an angry but defeated tribute to the lifestyle they lead. he ponders the meaning behind the words that he hears from the booth, that their life is really just like riding in a van, cruising through an existence that they never truly had control over.

 

most of the group haven’t slept in almost two days, too busy with comeback preparations, and are all positively drained, the weight of the day’s activities weighing deeply on their already battered bodies.

 

however, taeil could never hate the way his life is, not just because he’s been conditioned to push himself to the breaking point and then a little further, but because he made this choice himself when he signed his livelihood off to a future that hung in the balance all those years ago.

 

he’s not sure how his groupmates feel, as they might still have the fiery passion that comes with being young and living fast, and may still feel the need to fight a losing battle.

 

he thinks he passed this phase a long time ago, and has accepted his fate, but only because he has good people to traverse such a difficult path with. as grim as it is, misery loves company, but it sure beats being alone.

 

it is then that taeil sees the cameraman with a small camcorder, filming taeyong as he raps, and taeil realizes he truly has the best person to spend this life with. he smiles to himself at the sappy thought, and has to scramble to get his bearings lest it be documented if the man decides to sweep the camera over to him.

 

taeil soon realizes, though, that the cameraman has chosen to focus on the other man, and is silently grateful to be able to privately wallow in his dazed state that only really exists in hours like these. he lets his eyelids fall over his aching eyes, not caring if he happened to fall asleep or not.

 

the sound of the producers clapping startles taeil awake, and he picks up his phone, squinting at the bright screen that reads 4:57 am. his gaze drifts to the cameraman who has moved to stand in front of taeyong as he giggles cutely after wrapping up.

 

the man turns off the camera as taeyong leaves the booth, and he lets the smile he wore earlier fall, replacing it with a discontent expression that looks out of place on his pouty lips. he plucks his bucket hat from its place on the table and plops it on his head, then pushes up his glasses to rub his eyes, the bags under them seeming like bruises in the dim light.

 

sighing deeply, taeyong trudges towards taeil, cuddling close to him on the small couch, and taeil pushes back his hat, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

 

the younger man constantly beat himself up when he felt he wasn’t at his best, and the lack of focus that can arise when recordings run this late just served to frustrate him more.

 

they sit like that for a few more minutes, taeyong practically asleep on taeil’s chest when the cameraman sheepishly pokes taeil's shoulder. they need to wrap up the recording diary, and then the two can go back to the dorm and cuddle all they want, he says, amusement lacing his usually mundane tone.

 

taeyong lifts his head reluctantly, blinking a bit and clearing his throat before walking in front of the door, the cameraman clicking record to film the last bit.

 

“right now, it’s around five am. but i think five am vibes are not bad at all. dark circles under your eyes vibes.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by dis video: [https://youtu.be/6a1TUqPGQxY ](https://youtu.be/6a1TUqPGQxY)
> 
> the lil speech taeyong gave at the end of it really made me want to write something,, so here ya go! this is kinda crappy lol but i just really liked the mood of all of the rec diaries, they were very intimate and stripped down and let us see another side of nct yanno
> 
> ps i hope ur all having a wonderful 2019 and are excited for wayv's debut hehe
> 
> p.p.s. comments and kudos make my day ( ◠‿◠ )
> 
> n e ways talk to me abt nct on twitter i swear i don't bite: [@cupidyong](https://twitter.com/cupidyong)


End file.
